Two former employees have filed a claim that their supervisor sexually abused them 40 years ago. The two paperboys have joined other five former paperboys who made similar allegations. The seven paperboys worked for a Gannett-owned newspaper in New York.
Kelby Ash and Ballard Tackett allege that Jack J. Lazaroff repeatedly molested them. Lazaroff was once a district sales manager for the Democrat & Chronicle based in Rochester, N.Y. He oversaw the paper route used by the two boys between 1982 and 1985. Ash was 11 to 13 years old, and Tackett was 11 to 12 years old. The D&C hired Lazaroff and failed to supervise him as he was working with children. Additionally, the D&C was unable to address the child sexual abuse that was happening in plain sight.
When he was arrested in 1987, Lazaroff was charged with disorderly conduct. The arrest was made after a donut shop employee told police that Lazaroff would come to the shop with a paperboy and touch him inappropriately. The police would later identify the paperboys who accompanied Lazaroff, but it is unclear how the case was solved.
Repeat offender
In 1988, Lazaroff was arrested again on a sexual abuse in second-degree lawsuit. He pleaded guilty to avoid jail time and was given a lesser charge. Lazaroff passed on in 2003, and since then, there have more New York Child Victims Act Sex Abuse Claims on him. Since his death, five former D&C paperboys have accused him of sexual abuse. The D&C and the parent company have also been indicted. According to the three filings, D&C hired Lazaroff after the Rochester bank fired him for sexually abusing high school boys. The D&C, in 2019, reported that Lazaroff might have been a sexual predator. However, it remains unknown whether his supervisors acted on the allegations.
Victims of sexual assault are often ashamed to come out and report what happened. Ash and Tackett have joined thousands of people seeking restitution under the Child Victims Act passed in 2019. If you are a victim of sexual assault, do not hesitate to contact an attorney immediately.
